Nick Astbury, British Deputy High Commissioner to Jamaica and The Bahamas, is pictured with Mr. Jack Thompson, Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary.
NASSAU, Bahamas – Plans by the British Government to reopen its High Commission in Nassau as previously announced back on April 20 by then British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson prior to his resignation on July 9 appear to be still in the works.
This was indicated by Nick Astbury, UK Deputy High Commissioner to Jamaica and The Bahamas, on his Facebook page on Wednesday, August 22.
“Great to meet Permanent Secretary Jack Thompson and his team @MOFABahamas – discussing a range of issues including the reopening of our High Commission in #Nassau. #Bahamas,” Mr. Astbury said, in a comment that accompanied a photo of him and Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Jack Thompson taken during his recent visit to The Bahamas.
When it was announced on April 20 that Britain planned to open nine new diplomatic missions, including in The Bahamas, no timeline was set.
In an interview with the Nassau Guardian back in April when the announcement was made, Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield said that while the government was pleased the United Kingdom planned to reopen its high commission in New Providence, there was no definitive date on when this will happen.
The Guardian quoted Minister Henfield as saying that he had invited Boris Johnson “to come and open the High Commission for us” and he agreed “that he will travel to The Bahamas and open it for us when they decide to do it.”
The last resident British High Commissioner to The Bahamas was Peter Young, who served from 1996 to 1999 when the high commission closed, and the British High Commission in Kingston assumed responsibility for the maintenance of diplomatic relations between the UK and The Bahamas.
Deputy High Commissioner Astbury was in Nassau in connection with the announcement that two Bahamians are among the Chevening Scholars for 2018-2019.
The Deputy High Commissioner congratulated Therell Smith, who will be studying for a Msc in Health Care Management at Swansea University, and D’Andra Johnson, who will be studying for a LLM in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities.
According to its website, Chevening is the UK Government’s international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders. Funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations, Chevening offers two types of award – Chevening Scholarships and Chevening Fellowships – the recipients of which are personally selected by British embassies and high commissions throughout the world.
“Chevening offers a unique opportunity for future leaders and influencers from all over the world to develop professionally and academically, network extensively, experience UK culture, and build lasting positive relationships with the UK,” the website states.
Applications for Chevening Scholarships and some Fellowships for 2019-2020 are currently open from August 6 to November 6, 2018, with applications to be submitted via www.chevening.org/apply.
Nick Astbury has been Deputy High Commissioner to Jamaica and The Bahamas since November 2016. His previous postings include Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, as well as serving as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Eritrea and as Deputy Consul-General in New York.
